Feeler mechanism for looms



July 3, 1928. 1,675,549

0. C. HAMMETT ET AL 1 FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Dec. 51, 1927 l i ll lNVENTOR.

BY Ma /gm ATTORNEY Patented July 3, 1928.

UNITED, STATES PATENT YOFFJCE.

ozann c. HAMMETT AND GEORGE R. soorr; or. KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, AssIGNons TO DRAPER CORPORATION, or HoPEnALE,uunssacnvsnrrs, A oonrom'rxon 0F MAINE.

FEELER MECHANISMH FOR LOQMS.

Application filed December 31, 1927. Serial No. 243,918.

This invention relates to feeler mechanisms for looms and is more particularly directed tomeans for preventing a change of filling by the feeler when the shuttle is improperly boxed.

It is now the usual practice to provide looms with feelermechanisms which detect substantial exhaustion of filling initiate filling replenishing mechanism. In feeler mechanisms ofthis general type the filling is liable to be changed by the feeler should the shuttle-be improperlyboxed, because at such time it may happen that the feeler insteadof engaging the mass of filling in the shuttle mayengage the shuttleiwall itself or more frequently the bobbin holding jaws, and there being no means on the jaws for preventing the side slipping movement of the feeler, a change of filling is liable to occur when there still remainsia working supply within the shuttle. This, of course, meanswaste of filling, because-thefilling carriers that are ejected from the shuttle ,front wall 3 of which has an opening 4 which substantially registers with a corresponding opening 5 in the front wall of the usually have the filling removed before rewinding. i

One of the important features ofthe present invention consists in providingafeeler mechanism with a change preventer which normally is inactive but which comes into action to remove the feeler frontwardly from its feeling position when the shuttle is iIIl-' properly boxed, either by failure toenter the shuttle boxsufliciently far or by rebound of the shuttle.

Morespecifically'stated, the present invention provides a change preventer associated with that type of, feeler mechanism shown and described in the patent toBrown and Repass, No. 1593, 126, dated July 20, 192?, and is a further development of that mechanism, whereby it is rendered more relii able in action when the shuttle is improperly boxed.

The invention and novel features thereoffl i to change thefilling when the shuttle reaches the replenishing side of the loom. These will best be made clear from the following description and the accompanying drawings of a good practical form thereof. i

In the drawings: Fig. lis a plan view, parts in section;

wbut should substantial exhaustion of the fillshowing a shuttle properly boxed and the i feeler mechanism normally acting to detect the condition of filling;

:Fig; 2 is an enlarged-plan view,.isome ofthe parts in section and with the cover of the feeler stand-removed, showing therelation of partsona detecting beatwhen the the condition of thehfilling inthe shuttle on detecting beats and upon the occurrence of action ofthe normally inactive change preventer when the shuttle is improperly boxed :and at about the time when the lay reaches its front position. i l

:The details of the replenishing mechanism are not herein shown and described because they form no essential part of the present invention and are now well understood by mechanism is of-the floating side slipping those skilled in the artybut where the feele r y type such asthat described in the Brown andRepasspatent, the train of mechanism "for effecting replenishment of filling may be substantially thesame as that which, is exploited in the. Brown and Repass patent.

The lay :1 has the usual shuttle box 2,' the shuttle GWhen the shuttle is properly boxed, withthe result that the feeler, presently to be describedymay enterthrough the registeringslotsut and 5 and detect the condition as usual to pickuor drive the shuttle to the opposite side of the m. If during such operation. thefeeler hasindicated a workking 1 supply of filling in the shuttle, no

change takes place in the loom operation,

ing be detected by the feeler, then the replenishing mechanism is set in operation the feelerumeohanism is shown as of. the

i move the Brown and Repass type wherein a floating feeler is mounted on the feeler stand to detect the condition of the filling on each detecting beat. The shipper stand 11 is here in shown as provided with the feeler stand 12 which may be appropriately secured to the shipper stand as now well understood in the art.

The feeler stand comprises the base portion 13, Fig. 2, and a cover plate which overlies the base portion to maintain the floating feeler and its associated parts prop erly positioned on the feeler stand, as more Fully described in the Brown and Repass patent.

The feeler 1a has its rearwardly extending end portion provided with the usual teeth or roughened surface 15 which, by engagement with the filling on detecting beats, prevents side slipping movement of the feeler until the filling is substantially exhausted. The feeler 14 extends frontwardly into the feeler stand, as more fully indicated in Fig. 9., and has the heel portion 16 which rides along the guiding surface 17 formed in the feeler stand as the feeler is moved frontwardly and rearwardly. Extending laterally from the feeler 14 within the ieeler stand is the arm 18, and the feeler is normally under the influence of means for holding the feeler in its rearward feeling position and returning it to such position when the feeler has been displaced frontwardly. In the present instance of the invention, a

- spring 19 is connected to the laterally extending arm 18 at 20, and its rear end is engaged by a lug 21 on the feeler stand, the normal influence of the spring acting to teeler rearwardly. Extending through an opening 22 above the feeler stand is the transmitter .23, the construction being such that should the feeler be displaced laterally on a detecting beat it will act through the transmitter, as more fully described in the Brown and Bepass patent, to initiate replenishment of filling.

Ordinarily the shuttle will be properly boxed so that the feeler may act directly upon the filling or filling carrier within the shuttle, but it sometimes happens that the shuttle will rebound in the replenishing box or may not reach its full box position, in which case the feeler is liable to engage the bobbin'holding jaws in the shuttle and, not being held by the filling as-usual, it will side slip and call for a change of filling when there is yet suflicient filling in the shuttle to continue weaving.

As hereinbefore stated, one of the important features of the present invention is to provide feeler mechanism, as before described, with a change preventer; that is, a means for preventing the feeler from calling for a change of filling should the shuttle be improperly boxed.

The change preventer 24 is constituted as a slide mounted on the feeler stand and having its rear end portion rounded, as indicated at 25. Its frontwardly extending portion within the feeler stand is provided with a lateral portion 26 which, when the change preventer is in its rearward position, is engaged with the stop bearing 27, which may be appropriately formed as a pin or lug extending from the feeler stand. The change preventer 21 is guided in the feeler stand by the. side portion 28 of the stand, a projection 29 at the rear of the teeler stand and by the stop bearing 27, the construction being such that these guiding elements serve to direct the movement of the change preventer 24 when it is in action.

The lateral portion or projection 26 of the change preventer is interposed between the end of the laterally extending arm 18 of the feeler and the stop bearing 27, with the result that the front end portion or projection 26 of the preventer limits the rearward movement of the feeler under the action of the spring 19, and the latter, acting through the feeler when it has been displaced frontwardly, will return the feeler to its rearward position and likewise act to return the change preventer toits rearward position should it have been displaced frontwardly. I

As hereinbefore indicated, thechange preventer is normally quiescent or inactive during weaving operations whenthe shuttle is properly boxed and, as indicated in Fig. 1,

.the change prevcnter 24 does not engage any surface carried by the shuttle while normal weaving is in progress and the shuttle is properly boxed so that the feeler itself acts normally to detect the condition of the filling and call for a change when lillingis substantially exhausted.

Should the shuttle, however, not be properly boxed, either by rebounding in the box after reaching its final .position or by not being picked fully home, the shuttle and feeler mechanism will assume the positions indicated in Fig. 2, where the shuttle shown as not properly boxed. Under these conditions as the lay moves trontwardly on a detecting beat, the rounded rear end portion 25 of, the change prcventer will engage the front wall 30 of the shuttle and will be moved frontwardly as the lay beats up (see Fig. 3), with the result that the front end portion or lateral projection 26 ot the preventer 24: by engagement with the laterally extending arm 18 of the feeler will move the feeler frontwardly so that it will not engage the bobbin holding jaws and will also act positively upon the feeler to prevent side slipping movement. The feeler, therefore, will not call for a change of filling and, indeed, will,not detect the condition of the filling when the shuttle is improperly boxed.

As the lay goes back, with'the shuttle imsurface carried by the lay, and the feeler acts normally to detect the condition ofthe filling, so that the change preventer is normally quiescent or inactive; but when the shuttle is improperly boxed and the wall of the shuttle is presentedopposite the end 25 of the change preventer, the latter will be rendered operative to remove the feeler frontwardly and prevent the feeler from side slipping or calling for a change of filling.

It is believed that this is the, first instance in the art where a change preventer, nor mally inactive, and of the general character hereinbefore described, is brought into action toeffectively remove the feeler frontwardly from its feeling position when the shuttle is improperly boxed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a floating side slipping feeler mounted on the feeler stand and having a laterally extended arm, a spring connected to said arm and normally acting to move the feeler rcarwardly, a stop bearing secured to thefeeler stand rearward of the laterally extended arm, a change preventer constituted as a slide on the feeler stand having a lateral projection between the stop bearing and laterally extended arm and having its rear end adapted for engagement with a surface on the la-yto move the feeler frontwardly and prevent replenishment should the shuttle be improperly boxed on a detecting beat.

2. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a floating side slipping feeler mounted directly upon the feeler stand and having a laterally ex tended arm, a change preventer mounted directly on the feeler stand independent of the feeler and having a laterally extended lug rearward of the laterally extended arm of the feeler acting as a stop to limit rearward movement of the feeler, guiding means for directing the movements of the change preventer and adapted for engagement by the lug of the change preventer to limit its rearward movement on the feeler stand and the rearward movement of the feeler, and a spring acting normally upon the feeler to move it and through engagement of the laterally extended arm of the feeler with the lug ofthe preventer to move the preventer toorearward position. l

In, a feelcr mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a floating side slipping feeler having a laterally extended arm, a change preventer mounted directly on ,the feeler stand and normally occupying its rearward position during weaving when the shuttle is properly boxed on detecting beats and moved frontwardly only on engagement of its rear end with the wall of a misplaced shuttle in the shuttle box, guides on the feeler stand for directing the movements of the change preventer, a lug extending laterally from the change preventer to move the feeler frontwardly and prevent replenishment when the change preventer is engaged by the wall of a misplaced shuttle in the shuttle box, and a spring acting upon the feeler to move the feeler and by engagement of its laterally extended arm with the lug of the changepreventer to move the change preventer to rearward position again after it has been displaced frontwar dly by an improperly boxed shuttle.

4. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a floating side slipping feeler mounted on the feeler stand and having a laterally extended arm, a stop bearing on the feeler stand rearward of the laterally extended arm, a change preventer provided with a side projection interposed bet-ween the stop bearing and laterallyextended arm of the feeler and having its rearwardly extended end adapted to engage the wall of a misplaced shuttle in the shuttle box, and a spring acting through the feeler to move it and the change preventer to rearward position.

5. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a floating side slipping feeler having a laterally extended arm, a stop bearing rearward of said arm, a change preventer constituted as a slide on the feeler stand and having its rear end portion adapted to engage the front wall of a misplaced shuttle on a detecting beat, guides for the change preventer one of which is formed by the stop bearing, a lug carried by the change preventer and interposed between the stop bearing and laterally extended arm of the feeler to limit rearward movement of the feeler and effect its front ward movement when the change preventer engages the front wall of a misplaced shuttle in the shuttle box, and a spring acting upon the feeler to move the feeler and change preventer rearwardly.

6. In a feeler mechanism for lo0ms,the combination of a feeler stand, a floating side slipping feeler mounted on the feeler stand for movement towards and from the front of the loom and held from side slip ping movement by engagement with the fill- 1ng until substantial exhaustion thereof, an

arm extending laterally from the feeler, a change preventer mounted on the feeler stand for movement towards and from the front of the loom and having its front end portion adapted for engagen'ient by the laterally extended arm of the floating feeler, a stop for limiting the rearward movement of the change preventer, and a yielding means connected to the laterally extended arm of the feeler and normally tending to move the feeler rearwardly and by engagement of the laterally extended arm with the front end portion of the preventcr to move the prcventer rcarwal'dly.

7. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a side slipping feeler mounted directly on the feeler stand for movement towards and from the front of the loom and longitudinally of the shuttle, a

spring normally acting to move the feeler rearwardly, a change preventer normally quiescent in its rearward position on detecting beats during weaving when the shuttle is properly boxed and having its rear end normally positioned for non-engagement with a surface on the lay on detecting beats and adapted to engage such surface only when the shuttle is improperly boxed, and a lug carried by the normally inactive change preventer for moving the lceler :l rontwardly when the change preventer is rendered active on a detecting beat by a misplaced shuttle in the shuttle box.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification.

OREN C. HAMMETT, GEORGE R. SCOTT. 

